Portable shelter



Feb. 7, 1939. L. M. THOMPSON 2,146,517 PORTABLE SHELTER Filed Oct 2'7, 1957 2 sh ets-shed 1 LEW/s MF/oMPwN INVENTOR ATTORNEY Feb. 7, 1939. L r I 2,146,517

PORTABLE SHELTER Filed Oct. 2'7, 195'? 2 Sheets-Sheet? nlluililliiIFiI r45 luv/5 M. 7i/0MPsoN j INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 7, 1 939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

My invention is for a novel construction of shade or shelter. especially adapted for use on the beach. This shade is collapsible into com pact form so as to be easily portable, its total The novel features and practical advantages of my collapsible shade will be understood from a description of the accompanying drawings, in 10. which I Fig. 1 is a top plan of the shade in set-up condition, the cover being partly broken away for clearness;

r Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1 looking in the 15. direction of the arrow, the'cover being in section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the central portion of the frame that supports the cover;

Fig. 4 is a side view of Fig. 3; l 7

Figs. 5 and 6 are two viewsat right angles to each other showing an adjustable swivel joint in the top section of the supporting post;

Fig. 7 shows the telescoping arms that support the cover of the shade, this View being in longitudinal section;

Fig. 8 is an end view of Fig. 7 looking from left to right;

Fig. 9 shows the arms of Fig. 7 in collapsed position; and

Figs. 10 and 11 show a modification of the cover-support, Fig. 10 being a top view and Fig. 11 a side elevation.

The shade structure is supported on a post P, which consists of a plurality ofsections detach ably or collapsibly connected in any practical way. In this instance there are five tubular sec tions screwed together: an upper section in, three intermediate sections I2, and a bottom section l3; which has a pointed end 14 for sticking'in the ground. If the post is, say, six feet high, each" I section would be a little over a foot long,-a convenient length for packing. If only two intermediate sections !2 are used, each section would be about eighteen inches long. These sections are preferably aluminum tubes, so as to belight v and yet strong. The lower section l3. may carry feet or claws l5 hinged at I6 and adapted to engage the ground for steadying the. post against side sway, especially when it is stuck in the: sand on a beach. The shoulders l'l hold the feet [5V in horizontal position, but permitthem to. col lapse against the post when the latter. is pulled out of the ground. The interfitting screwthreaded joints [8 between the postsections are quickly made and give a strong tubular upright of. unit- 5 form diameter, as if in one piece. a 1

The upper section- I0 of post P receivesa casting indicated as awhole by K, which comprises a vertical member l9, atop-20, andfour pairs of horizontal lugs or ears 2]. When I refer to the part K as a casting, I do not mean that it is 5 necessarily of cast metal, although that is the easiest and cheapest way to make it, and so, for convenience, I call it-a casting, preferably made of aluminum for lightness. The vertical member [-9- of casting-Khas a screwthreaded opening 22- (Fig. 5) for receiving the screwthread'ed end- 23 of the. upper post section l0,.whereby the casting is securely mounted on the post, yet-easily detachable therefrom.

On each pair of ears 2| is hinged an arm indicated as a whole by A, each arm consisting of a plurality of sections collapsibly joined- In the particular embodiment here shown, each arm A consists of three tubes 2425-26' (Fig. 8) adapted to telescope into each other (Fig. 9) when the shade is disassembled for carrying. The inner ends. of tubes 2526 have collars 2''! to prevent separation of the tubes, and thumb-screws 28v hold the tubes rigidly in extended or operative position. The tube 24 of each arm has a lug 29: adapted to fit between a pair of ears 2| of casting K, a pin 30 holding the parts in hinged relation. Itis thus seen that each arm A is collapsibly hinged to casting K, so that, when not in use, these arms hang against the casting, as indicated at A in Fig. 4, 7

To steady the arms A in operative position I provide angle braces 3|.- As best shown in Fig. 4, each brace 3I- is hinged at its lower end on a pin 32 carried by ears orrlugs 33 on member IQ of casting. K. The lugs 33-may be castintegral with the member 19 and are preferably wide. enough to form a'firm' bearing for the forked-end 34 of brace 31, whereby the latter is steadied against lateral movement. The upper forkedend 35 of each brace has slots 36 adapted to engage a pair of headed pins 31 on the associated arm-A in a tight frictional fit. The pins 31 are shown near the outer end ofthe innerarm section 2-4,. but they can also be on the middle section: 25 if the braces 31 are made'correspondingly longer.

The angle braces: 3l constitute rigid struts or ties for holding the cross arms A- firmly in extended position. To disconnect the bracesfrom arms A; it is only necessary to swing the braces 7 up, as indicated at M in Fig. 4, whereupon the arms are free to drop down to the collapsed posi tion A. When not in use, the braces 3 I- lie substantially parallel with member IQ of casting: K,

as indicated at Me in Fig. 4, so-that the casting of the aluminum post P will be only a few pounds.

The collapsible cross arms A constitute a supporting frame for the cover 38, which is made of a suitable fabric, such as silk, canvas, and the like. The outer ends of arms A have headed pins 39, and the cover 38 has holes or eyelets at its corners for receiving the pins, whereby the cover is securely held in place. It should be noted that p the cover is attached only at the corners, so that it is a very simple matter to put it on and take it on. By inserting elastic strips or gussets 4B in the cover 38, its free edges are always taut, which means that the entire cover is held stretched, and these elastic inserts also make it easier to snap the eyelets of the cover over the pins 39.

The center of cover 38 may have a reinforcing patch 3! of leather or heavy linen to resist the Wear due to pressure contact with the head 20 of casting K. By making the head 28 spherical or dome-shaped, the center of cover 38 is raised and that helps to keep the cover as a whole in taut condition. I have shown a square cover, but it may have any other practical shape. Personally I prefer a cover about six feet square, which would make the telescoped arms (Fig. 9) only a little over a foot long. A depending curtain 42 may be attached to a pair of pins 39, this curtain being weighted at the bottom by a rod 43, on which it is rolled for packing, this rod being preferably collapsible or in sections.

In Figs. 10-11 the casing K has four radial tubular projections 46 into which the sections 24 of arms A are screwed, these screw connections 45 taking the place of the hinge connections 36 in Figs. 1-4. The screw connections 45 can be'deep enough to dispense with the angle braces 3!. Otherwise there is no difference between Figs. 1-4 and Figs. 10-11. To avoid confusion I should explain that Fig. 11 has been laid on its side, as it were, owing to lack of available space, so it should assumed that the arms 34 extend horizontally and the parts It] and I9 vertically.

To permit angular adjustment of cover 38 I provide an adjustable joint of any practical form, such as a swivel joint 46 in the top section of the post, as shown in Figs. 5-6. By loosening the wing nut 41, the upper portion Ill of section if! can be turned to any angle. Since the vertical post P can be turned about its axis, the swivel joint 45 and post together form a universal joint for adjusting the shade to any angle in any direction.

It will be apparent from the preceding description that I have provided a portable collapsible shade of few parts and light weight, which can be packed in a small container when disassembled, and which can be quickly set up without' tools. Although I have shown and described a specific construction, my invention is not limited to the details set forth. Various changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the scope'of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a shelter frame, a post, a top casting, a

series of arms pivoted to said top casting to swing in vertical planes, a series of pivot lugs extending from said post at a point below the connection of the arms to said casting, a series of braces each pivoted to a respective lug, and means for detachably connecting the remaining ends of said braces to said arms upon the latter being in raised position.

2. In a shelter frame, a post, a top casting, a series of arms pivoted to said top casting to swing in vertical planes, a series of pivot lugs extending from said post at a point below the connection of the arms to said casting, a series of braces each pivoted to a respective lug, hooks formed on the free ends of said braces, and pins extending laterally from said arms and engageable by said hooks upon the arms being in raised position.

3. In a shelter frame, a post, a top casting, a series of arms pivoted to said top casting to swing in vertical planes, a series of pivot lugs extending from said post at a point below the connection of the arms to said casting, a series of braces each pivoted to a respective lug, said braces each having a forked end straddling the lug to which it is pivoted, the free end of each brace being forked to straddle a respective arm, and means to detachably attach the free ends of the braces to said arms.

4. In a shelter frame, a post, a top casting, a V

' engagement in the hooks of a respective brace.

5. In a shelter frame, a post, a top casting, a series of arms pivoted to said top casting to swing in vertical planes, a series of pivot lugs extending from said post at a point below the connection of the arms to said casting, a series of braces each pivoted to a respective lug, and means for detachably connecting the remaining ends of said braces to said arms upon the latter being in raised position, said arms each consisting of a series of collapsible members and the braces engaging the innermost of said collapsible members, the pivotal connection between the arms and casting being at the inner ends of the innermost members.

6. In a shelter frame, a post, a top casting, a series of arms pivoted to said top casting to swing in vertical planes, a series of pivot lugs extending from said post at a point below the connection of the arms to said casting, a series of braces each pivoted to a respective lug, hooks on the free ends of said braces, and pins extending laterally from said arms and engageable by said hooks upon the arms being in raised position, said arms each consisting of a series of collapsible members and the braces engaging the innermost of said collapsible members, the pivotal connection between the arms and casting being at the inner ends of the innermost members.

'7. In a shelter frame, a post, a top casting, a series of arms pivoted to said top casting to swing in vertical planes, aseries of pivot lugs extending from said post at a' point below the connection of the arms to said casting, a series of braces each pivoted to a respective lug, said braces each having a forked end straddling the lug to which it is pivoted, the free end of each brace being forked to straddle a respective arm, and means to detachably attach the free ends of the braces to said arms, said arms each consisting of a series of telescopic members and the braces engaging the innermost of said telescopic members, the pivotal connection between the arms and casting being at the inner ends of the innermost members.

8. In a shelter frame, a'central post, a top casting, a series of arms pivoted to said top casting to swing in vertical planes, a series of pivot lugs extending from said post at a point below the connection of the arms to said casting, a series of braces each pivoted to a respective lug, said braces each having a forked end straddling the lug to which it is pivoted, the free end of each brace being forked to straddle a respective arm, the

sides of the last mentioned fork being provided with opposed hooked extremities, and a pair of diametrically opposed pins projecting from each arm for engagement in the hooks of a respective brace, said arms each consisting of a series of telescopic members and the braces engaging the innermost of said telescopic members, the pivotal connection between the arms and casting being at the inner ends of the innermost members.

LEWIS M. THOMPSON. 

